Mathieu Garon even played the charade to conceal the Edmonton Oilers starting goaltender last week.

But eventually it was revealed Garon was bothered by an ankle injury and yesterday he did not take part in an optional practice.

"Every day I'm going into the trainer's room and trying to get it better," Garon said. "It's tough. It's never a good time to get injured, but at the same time we're playing well, we've kept on winning and it's a positive.

"But as a player, you always want to be back as soon as possible."

Garon has not played since getting the hook in a 5-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on March 13th.

Dwayne Roloson has taken his place in net and has won four of the last five games.

It's likely he'll get the call again tonight as the Oilers play host to the Minnesota Wild.

"I think he (Garon) should be available in the foreseeable future," said Oilers head coach Craig MacTavish. "It's still very much day-to-day with him, but within the next game or so will be ready to play."

Prior to his injury, Garon had made 17 consecutive starts for the Oilers. He has dressed as the backup for the last five games and the Oilers have no intention of calling up a goaltender from the minors to take his place.

"It's something that we're monitoring very closely, if he was pressed into duty he could play," MacTavish said. "Given the fact that Roli has won four out of five, it's a situation where we're comfortable giving (Garon) the next game or so off to make sure he's 100% when he gets in the net. It's a tough position to play if you're anything short of 100%."